South Africa’s railway goals a dead end

The Ministry of Transport has announced that it will allow private firms to run trains on the national freight rail network, but these private operators will be vulnerable to unchecked rates of railway crime. 

The recently published Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) Reform Tracker highlights a concerning gap in South Africa’s police force that leaves the country’s freight sector and railway workers vulnerable. 

The BLSA is tracking progress on the SAPS Rail Initiative, which aims to:

“Enhance railway security, restore dedicated policing capacity for South Africa’s rail network, combat crime on trains and railway infrastructure, including cable theft, vandalism, and address passenger safety concerns.”

According to the BLSA, the South African Freight Logistics Roadmap from 2023 calls for a dedicated railway branch of the South African Police Service (SAPS). 

South Africa previously had such a security unit. The railway police was dissolved in 1986 after operating since 1934. Since then, a small, under-resourced unit of railway police have been tasked with the responsibility.

A representative from the United National Transportation Union (UNTU) told Newsday that it is “disappointed that the minister did not announce a strong intervention against ongoing theft and vandalism during her announcement regarding the private sector companies that will now have access to our railway lines.”

Theft and sabotage of railway lines, copper, and other equipment have plagued Transnet and contributed significantly to the dysfunctionality of both cargo and passenger rail routes, according to the BLSA. 

To remedy the issue, a formal Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Transnet and SAPS in September 2024. 

The agreement acknowledged that enhancing security at Transnet’s key operations is paramount for maintaining operational efficiency, economic stability and national security.

“Damage to Transnet infrastructure constitutes economic sabotage, and in line with our mandate, we must act against any form of attacks on Transnet infrastructure,” said General Fannie Masemola, SAPS National Commissioner. 

Almost a year later, there is no evidence of progress in security collaboration between the two entities, according to the BLSA tracker. 

Railway security features prominently as a priority in government initiatives. In the SAPS Strategic Plan for 2024/2025, Operation Shanela includes railway policing as a part of broader security initiatives. 

The latest statistics on railway crime-related incidents from the Railway Safety Regulator’s 2023/2024 Safety Report found that 7,420 incidents of railway crime were documented. 

Rail crime rate consistently high

On average, there are 335 security-related incidents reported for every 100 operational safety incidents, amounting to 3 to 1.

“This recorded number of incidents warrant to state that the level of security-related incidents within the railway environment remains relatively uncontrolled,” the regulator said. 

The data from this period showed a 15% decrease in security incidents, but the regulator said this likely merely indicates that a significant portion of railway assets and infrastructure is no longer available when compared to the 2019/2020 report. This is largely due to theft and vandalism. 

“This highlights the need for increased security personnel and/or police presence within the railway network,” the regulator said. 

The regulator’s data for the theft of assets, including rolling stock, was aligned with SAPS statistics and showed that since 2021, there have never been fewer than 5,000 incidents per year.

The BLSA acknowledged that SAPS has dedicated railway units that cover 33,000 km of railway lines, the Rapid Rail Police. 

The unit was established in 2004, but organisations have said it has not made an impact on rail crime. 

In its reform tracker, the BLSA said that the unit provides some police presence and has made some arrests, but has ultimately been ineffective. 

The unit has identified hotspots in cable and infrastructure-related crimes and found that there is a high number of non-railway staff and passengers who loiter around railway infrastructure undeterred.

In the report, the Rapid Rail Police also acknowledged that a lack of security personnel and an unsecured environment are leading causes of railway crimes. 

UNTU told Newsday that the current railway police face a shortage of resources, including vehicles. As such, they are not as effective as they should be. The union has been calling for the reestablishment of a properly resourced railway police for several years.

R4 billion in Transnet cable theft losses in 2025

Theft and vandalism are hindering the effectiveness of both Transnet and the Passenger Rail Association of South Africa (PRASA).

PRASA has taken it upon itself to enhance security measures and is committed to spending R1.5 billion on security before 2027.

The entity overhauled its security in 2019, firing thousands of security personnel because the company was not seeing any improvements in crime rates.  

Transnet, on the other hand, has lost 522 km of cable this year alone due to theft, costing R4 billion in losses, according to the BLSA.

Transnet’s freight rail volumes dropped to 152 million metric tons in the 2023/2024 financial year, down from a peak of 226 million metric tons in 2017/2018. 

In March alone, UNTU reported how Transnet lost R93 million due to cable theft and vandalism on the railway lines.

In the Department of Transport’s most recent annual report, inadequate security to protect rail infrastructure was identified as a key weakness to the transport sector.

However, the Ministry expressed no plans to remedy this issue with the reestablishment of a dedicated police force.

“UNTU believes that organised syndicates are stripping our railway lines. We consider this to be an act of treason and have made several calls for the SANDF to be deployed to protect our strategic economic assets,” the UNTU spokesperson said.